Miniaturized N64 controller fits the tiniest of hands

The controllers that came with the Nintendo 64 don’t exactly measure up to the “Duke” of Xbox fame, but they’re not the smallest in the world either. Made by Bacteria forum member [Bungle] says that his girlfriend has incredibly tiny hands, so he thought he might try trimming some of the fat from an N64 controller by cramming its components into an N64 cartridge.

He tore down a 3rd-party N64 controller, tossing out the D-Pad, plug, and rumble motor, retaining all of the other buttons. After gutting the game cartridge, he heated the back side under a lamp and stretched the plastic over a roll of electrical tape to make room for the N64’s trademark “Z” button. Having only removed the rumble motor due to size constraints, he found a suitable replacement at Radio Shack, which fills in for the original nicely.

After a good amount of careful trimming, wiring, and mounting, he came up with the little gem you see above. We’re sure [Bungle’s] girlfriend is pleased with his work, and he seems happy with how it came out as well.

Continue reading to see a short video showing off [Bungle’s] latest creation.

Taking an off the shelf controller apart and placing it inside another off the shelf housing is not what I consider craftsmanship.

I applaud his efforts and the final product is functional but I do not believe this qualifies as craftsmanship. Now, if he had measured the components, designed his own controller, 3d printed it and assembled it – THEN I would call it craftsmanship. This is more of a hack and a functional but cludgy one at that.

If a man puts a 351 Cleveland into a Pinto and has to bulge the hood, tuck a cut down 9 inch differential and wide slicks under the rear, and it looks good, even though the parts are all made by Ford, it takes craftsmanship, not re-engineering. These parts weren’t even by the same manufacturer, and the “off the shelf housing” wasn’t made for a controller.

The man did it for someone else’s benefit, which is admirable. He then posted it for others benefit, again admirable. Try walking a mile in another man’s shoes before you criticize his work.

Guys the choice of a word really wasn’t intended to start an argument. Whatever your opinion is is fine. The guy finished a cool project and that’s all it is, a project for fun, no need read any further into it.

Compare it to http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hack&defid=3916807
specifically,:
1. A clever or elegant technical accomplishment, especially one with a playful or prankish bent. A clever routine in a computer program, especially one which uses tools for purposes other than those for which they were intended, might be considered a hack. Students at technical universities, such as MIT, are famous for performing elaborate hacks, such as disassembling the dean’s car and then reassembling it inside his house, or turning a fourteen-story building into a giant Tetris…
(emphasis mine)

@chaz1
You should’ve posted that argument on the YouTube comment section for this video. This site isn’t for that. Nobody cares about what you think unless you’re trying to teach us something or have a valid point about something more important.

[@chaz1
You should’ve posted that argument on the YouTube comment section for this video. This site isn’t for that. Nobody cares about what you think unless you’re trying to teach us something or have a valid point about something more important.]
My original comment very definitely has something to teach, that being that criticizing the man’s work is neither nice nor encouraging, despite the preface of “I am going to try to say this in the in the nicest way possible,” then doing just the opposite. I could say the exact same thing about HAD’s comment: Nobody cares about what you think unless you’re trying to teach us something or have a valid point about something more important.
Here’s a question for HAD: Exactly what about using a 3D printer involves craftsmanship?

1: an implement for hacking
2: nick, notch
3: a short dry cough
4: a hacking stroke or blow
5: restriction to quarters as punishment for naval officers —usually used in the phrase under hack6: a usually creative solution to a computer hardware or programming problem or limitation

I don’t even understand why he did this. Children had no problem playing N64 controllers, so I don’t understand the “small hands” problem. Also, I’d vote the official N64 and Gamecube controllers as possibly having the best ergonomics of any system today; which was then ruined by slamming it all into an uncomfortable game cart.

“N64 and Gamecube controllers as possibly having the best ergonomics of any system today” Um… I dunno about Gamecube, but the original N64 controller was anything but ergonomic. Why a third prong? Does anyone know? How about the Z button being in the center, rather than in a trigger position?

I like this hack, but mostly because the N64 controller was very strange to begin with.

Because not everybody is the same. Being left-handed, I hate ergonomic mice and joysticks. Just don’t work for me, a right handed mouse in the left hand just sucks. Maybe she really liked the feel of an original Gameboy. That is what it looks like to me.

Howard Wolowitz- Her freakishly small hands make anything look big. That’s one of the reasons I love her

I personally liked the N64 controller, but its peculiar shape can’t suit everyone. I hope she likes it :)

I don’t get why people are discussing the terms “craftsmanship”, “re-engineering” and “hack”. He took something and modified them with hands and tools – in my book that constitute use of all the terms.

Afaik he also got it to look exactly like what he wanted and the finish it really nice.

I don’t understand all the hate? If some of you don’t like how it looks then sure thing, i respect that. Like the n64 controller his design wont please everybody, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, not hacked, not re-engineered or not crafted.

Have a nice day :)

ps: “Her freakishly small hands make anything look big. That’s one of the reasons I love her”

Nerdy, mathy types, especially ones who program, develop a habit of using natural language words as if they were programming–one precise meaning with no ambiguity. They get uncomfortable when people point out that words can mean different things to different people, and that the dictionary giving one definition doesn’t make other usages wrong.

i was thinking the same ting, i remember in zelda when you sooting the range wheapons the dpad moves just the aiming and the stick makes you walk so you do need the dpad or so i remember is been a while sine i last played n64

You guys have seen the actual insides of a GC controller right?
Its friken much bigger than what actually fits an n64 cartridge.
Mitsumi’s interface isn’t easy to modify.
That must be why a 3d party control like a micro control
might fit a bit, but even so I think a custom board was used.
Great job in this crafty mod.